What sounds like the beginning to a terrible joke will actually come to fruition this weekend when the Columbus Crew play host to Toronto FC to open the 2008 Major League Soccer season Saturday afternoon.
As the buildup to the newly named "Trillium Cup" started, it became clear the TFC supporters would be traveling en masse to support their club. And so, the question became: "Exactly how many Canadians can you fit on 100 busses?"
TFC has become the closest geographical rival for the Crew since the addition of the first Canadian squad in MLS last year. Toronto fans flocked to Crew Stadium in 2007 and this year TFC won't have a home game until nearly a month into the season, essentially ensuring their supporters will turn out in numbers for the opener in Columbus.
Crew defender Frankie Hejduk, in response, called out the supporters of the Black & Gold. "Toronto is bringing 100 busses down here this weekend," Hejduk said. "We hope that the Crew fans and the city of Columbus will come out, and the more support you can give us the better we will perform."
In addition to the 100 busses, there will be numerous other cars, noise-makers, scarves and everything else that comes with the estimated 2,100 tickets sold to TFC fans.
"It's great that this league is getting to the point that away fans are starting to travel in numbers," said veteran Crew forward Alejandro Moreno. "I think that shows the kind of growth that the league is going through. The important thing for us is that we, as the local team with the home fans, not only should match that energy but go above and beyond it. We certainly feel it on the field when the fans get behind us in the stands."
The two teams announced Thursday the "Trillium Cup" will be awarded to the squad that wins the regular season matchup. The new trophy is named for the trillium, the official flower of the province of Ontario and the official wildflower of the state of Ohio. Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and Toronto Mayor David Miller have also placed a small wager on their respective teams for the first meeting of 2008, with the loser having to wear the other team's jersey at a public appearance.
"The fans of both teams have selected an extremely unique and distinctive name for the cup," said Crew general manager Mark McCullers, "and I am certain that as the rivalry grows the Trillium Cup will be a sought-after prize for both the teams and fans alike."
With all the extra excitement of the rivalry -- both on the field and in the stands -- and a newly named series, the Crew have made it clear that their focus on opening day will be on only one thing: winning.
"We need to make our home, Crew Stadium, a really terrible place for opposing teams to play," said Crew head coach Sigi Schmid. "We have to make this our fortress. We have to make this our home, where nobody comes in and takes anything away from us."
Nathan Linton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
